crock pot chili recipe: 2013

Where I'm At

Hello. . . is anybody still out there?

I've been taking some pics of my little wheelie house, and I thought you might like to see them.

These are obviously some of the NOW pics. If you'd like to see the THEN pics they're over on my Pinterest thingy. I'll be taking more NOWs as I get more done. And I'd really love to take some more taken-from-the-same-angle-so-as-to-better-see-the-comparison-type photos like this one. . .

I'm enjoying the process of making my little home mine, and looking forward to learning how to enjoy my own company.

Note to the wonderful people who donated to the Kickstarter campaign:

I've been working diligently on making all the rewards and got the first batch mailed out a few days ago, but I still have many many more to do. So if you're expecting something please don't worry, I haven't forgotten about you. (I've just had so much to figure out. Still have so much to figure out, but I'm getting there.)

Thank you all for being so patient with me!

Almost Rotisserie Chicken

Updated March 25, 2013

After trying this many different ways, with many different seasonings I've decided to let y'all know that if you turn the chicken with the breast side down it will keep the white meat (which tends to dry out easily) nicely basted. I also often use small new potatoes or onions wrapped in foil under the chicken so that it doesn't sit in the excess fat that would make the whole thing greasy. They also make great side dishes too.... just sayin'!

As always I want to give a great big THANKS to all of my loyal followers for their suggestions on making the crock pot ROCK! ~Ginger

ORIGINAL POST October 6, 2010:

This is how Jeanette does crock pot Rotisserie Chicken. All I can say is WOW WOW WOW!

- 3 - 6 lb baking hen
- Lawry's Season Salt to taste (or lemon pepper, bbq, fresh rosemary... whatever flavor you want your chicken to have really)
- Pepper to taste (again, whatever seasoning depending on what flavor you want your chicken to have)
- aluminum foil
- crock pot liner(for easy clean-up)

Rinse & pat dry baking hen. Make sure to remove anything fromt the cavity of the chicken too.

Sprinkle generous amounts of the season salt/pepper inside the cavity of the chicken.
Make 4 or 5 aluminum foil balls to set inside the crock pot.
Set the chicken on top of the foil balls. (This keeps the chicken from soaking in the juices.)
Add more seasoning salt/pepper if desired

This chicken is so moist & tender it tastes just like the store-bought rotisserie chickens but much better!!!!

Place lid on crock pot and set cooking temperature to HIGH for 5 - 6 hours or low for 9 - 11.

Thanks for sharing Jeanette! I can't wait to give this a try.
I would consider using a 6 quart crock pot to do this in. You just want to make sure that the chicken you purchase will fit in the crock pot while allowing the lid to fit snuggly.
If you wanted a one pot dinner you could wrap some halved potatoes and onions wrapped in aluminum foil underneath the chicken instead of aluminum foil balls.
To brown the chicken, and if you have a removable crockery crock pot, you could stick the crock pot - crockery part only - in a 350 degree oven for a few minutes to crisp up the skin on the chicken.
I would also watch the cook time Jeanette recommended. If you're chicken is larger it may take a little longer to cook. What you're looking for is the juices to run completely clear. When in doubt though, always use a meat thermometer to check the chicken has reached a safe temp.This recipe shared at Recipe Swap Thursday and Grocery Cart Challenge Recipe Swap.

Cookbook Review and Giveaway

We have a winner!!! Thanks to everyone for entering. Chrissy Morrison please go HERE to claim your cookbook. I would like to thank Hope again for taking the time to write and publish such a great slow cooker cookbook and sharing it with us. Don't forget to keep on reading to find out how to purchase your copy today.

ORIGINAL POST:

My friend Hope from A Busy Mom's Slow Cooker Adventures has written a cookbook that I know all of you are going to be CRAZY about. It is 100 pages of great slow cooker information and recipes.

Hope has created a slow cooker cookbook that all the recipes contain ten ingredients or less AND variations for making the recipes gluten free. To get the most and best use out of your slow cooker Hope has also included some "basic" recipes that will aide in this. With categories like Breakfast, Beef, Chicken, Pork, Soups and Vegetarian you are sure to find something that will become your families new favorite. Hope has been nice enough to give one of these awesome cookbooks away to one of you. Please go HERE to enter.* If you can't wait to see if you're the winner she has it for sale now. Go here to purchase a copy now.If you want to make sure you don't miss any great posts from Hope make sure you follow her everywhere on the world wide web:Now make sure you enter to win a copy of Slow Cooker Recipes: 10 Ingredients or Less and Gluten Free.

*I was given a copy of Slow Cooker Recipes: 10 Ingredients or Less and Gluten Free by Hope Comerford in exchange for posting a fair review and hosting a giveaway. There was no monies that exchanged hands for reviewing this cookbook by Hope Comerford. All opinions expressed in this review are solely mine and no one elses. The giveaway will end and entries will no longer be allowed after midnight EST October 10, 2013 and winner will be announced and contacted in the following days.

Crock Pot Pumpkin Puree

Thanks to my friend Kathy from Healthy Slow Cooking I am now making the easiest crock pot pumpkin puree EVER! She had the best technique of NO work involved before cooking the pumpkin that I had ever seen. It simply requires washing the pumpkin, forking it and putting in the crock pot. That's it. Very simple.

You may be wondering what kind of pumpkin to use for this. I asked the powers that be (the people that grow the pumpkins) and they recommend the "Pie Pumpkins" or "Sugar Pumpkins". They are 6 - 8 inches in diameter and are not as stringy as the carving pumpkins we make jack-o-lanterns out of. Here is a picture of one:

I was able to fit 3 - 4 of these pumpkins into a 6 quart oval crock pot. So I had a couple of crock pots going at one time to utilize the most amount of pumpkin puree as possible. Cut the stem as close to the pumpkin as possible. It will allow you more room than you think.Remove any stickers and rinse well.Poke the pumpkin with a fork in 3 or 4 places around the sides of the pumpkin.Layer as many pumpkins as you can in one crock pot (I used a 6 quart and fit 4 - 6" pie pumpkins easily).Cook on low for 8 - 10 hours.Remove the cooked pumpkins with a large serving spoon. Cut the cooked pumpkins into quarters.Remove skin (it easily pinches off with tongs), throw away and scoop seeds out with the spoon you used remove the pumpkins from the crock pot. Make sure to put the seeds to the side for roasting later.... Place all the cooked pumpkin flesh into a large bowl and mash with a fork or potato masher. If you have a food mill or immersion blender you could use either one of those also (I used a food mill for a smoother texture).Use in any recipe that calls for Pure Pumpkin or Pumpkin Puree.FYI: When a recipe calls for (1) 15 ounce can of pumpkin puree you can use 2 cups of your crock pot pumpkin puree in it's place.

Crock Pot Teriyaki Mushrooms

I threw these in a small crock pot when we were grilling out the other night. I have to say..... they were AMAZING!!!

Ingredients:
° (2) 8 oz packages of button mushrooms, cleaned and trimmed
° 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
° 3 Tablespoons brown sugar
° 1 teaspoon ground ginger

Directions:
1. Mix soy sauce and sugar until sugar dissolves.
2. Add ginger and stir to incorporate.
3. Put mushrooms into 1/2 ~2 quart crock pot.
4. Pour soy mixture over top.
5. Cover and cool on high for 2 hours or on low for 3 ~ 4 hours.

The Woods

I purposefully lost myself in the woods this week.

This is where I went.

Sometimes you've just gotta get lost to find something new.

Today's Table and Thank You!

It feels really good to be working again!

A great big THANK YOU to everybody who has sent well wishes and hugs and cards and words of encouragement! I am truly overwhelmed by the goodness of it all. Overwhelmed in a good way, not in the what-the-hell-am-I-doing-I-can't-possibly-do-this sort of way that keeps rearing it's ugly head. It really means so much. I've read and re-read every word. Thank you, thank you , thank you!

Lulu and I are slowly settling in to a new routine. I got myself a little travel trailer that I'm well on my way to turning into a home of my own. I'm currently parked at my folks' house while I try to find my feet. I am so grateful for them! They live out in the country, and Lulu's loving the mole-chasing opportunities. I was feeling so down the other morning when Lulu came bounding over with a present for me, a dead mole that she quite proudly dropped at my feet. She looked up at me with such unconstrained exuberance that I just had to laugh. I know, poor mole, but it made me giggle nonetheless. I think country life suits us just fine.

Where I've Been

The past 5 weeks have been the hardest of my entire life, and I haven't exactly had a comfy life. I've been with Dylan for 22 years, since we were both 18 years old. He was my safety, my comfort. I trusted him implicitly and gave him my whole heart. I became "the Jo part of Dylan and Jo" and lost more and more of myself in the process. When he told me that he was leaving me, I thought I would die. I was genuinely surprised that my heart continued to beat. I thought I couldn't live without him.

I was wrong.

I now know that I am stronger than I ever could have imagined. My heart has been well and truly broken, but with the help of a wonderful support system I'm stitching it back together bit by bit. I'm learning to comfort myself. My creativity has always been healing for me, and I'm leaning on it heavily to get me through this. I'm allowing/encouraging/pushing myself to take a new path. It's scary. It's rough and overgrown and full of thorns, and I'm certainly stumbling along (hell, I'm practically falling off cliffs), but I'm just gonna keep putting one foot in front of the other and trust that it's leading somewhere beautiful.

I didn't choose this. I'm deeply grieving the loss of my husband, of hopes and dreams of an imagined future together, but I'm also painting a new picture in my mind. I'm learning to embrace the possibility that my life can be whatever I make it. I'm choosing to make it wonderful.

Seafood in Dinner Parties for Full Enjoyment

Planning a dinner party that can please crowds and looks as elegant as possible, then you should try exclusive party recipes to influence your family and friends. Today, individuals want to throw exceptional birthday or bachelor party that can be enjoyed by almost all friends. In order to host such an extravagant party, people look out for each and every aspect from party decoration to dinner menu. In fact, it is easy celebrate and organize events at the backyard or garden only. If you have small number of friends then your garden or backyard is the finest place to consider. You can easily manage dinner as well as dances or other programs to enjoy with family and friends.

When you are inviting your friends, you always want to enhance their experiencing by adding more delicious recipes and game programs. Once you have decided your venue then it becomes easy to choose and finalize the dinner items that can add value to your party. Most of the people, consult with the party planners and some directly include world-famous lamb chops or seafood for uniqueness and delightfulness. The reason behind is that such food is the favorite of all. People enjoy seafood products in the fun parties. This is why hosts select seafood as the best appetizer party.

It is easy to select sensational salmon or cod recipes, recipes that feed a passionate crowd or orange juices, desserts and other items that can add extra fun & flavor to the party. From great seafood appetizers to stunning cocktails to bakery products, you can add the high-flavor menu for your dinner party! If you are highly inspired, then you can add red wine, burgers, coffees or other refreshing items for ultimate fun. Most of the health conscious people choose seafood products for health benefits and taste advantages.

In both, formal and informal parties seafood products has its own importance and value. People love roasted crabs, grilled cod or salmon or stuffed golden pompano. These products give amazing taste and make the party environment more exciting and flavorful. These recipes look very appealing and allow guests to enjoy with wines and desserts. For exclusivity, these items are warmly spiced for deliciousness.

In fact, it is easy to order seafood direct from the seafood market. Vendors provide freshly packed sea species as per your requirements. Moreover, you can order special items also such as frozen blue mussels, cod Gadus morhua, frozen squid, crabs, salmon, vannamei white shrimp, Alaska pollock fish etc.

So, whether you are hosting a formal or casual dinner party, you can always rely on amazing seafood recipes.

The author is associated with King Nestle International Company. It specializes in supplying the highest quality sea food products (such as frozen tilapia fillet, vannamei white shrimp, Alaskan pollock fish, cod Gadus Morhua, etc.) They proudly present their seafood services that can add extra value to the commercial markets.
This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Something-New Sunday

Here it is, Sunday again. I don't have anything new in the shop, in fact I'm closing the shop for a little bit while I sort some things out. But I did make something new this week. Here's my favorite, in all her skelly goodness. I think she turned out mighty fine (if I do say so myself).

Hope you're all having a less-challenging week than I am.

♥

Something-New Sunday

The owls have landed!

So I made this big group of owls, but they just seemed to be missing something. . . What could it be? What would make them happy and complete? Pumpkins! (The big one tried to perch on a pumpkin too, but he's too top-heavy so he got his very own moon instead.)

They're all in the shop now.

Snapshots from Tonight's Table

Owls, owls, owls!

Today's Table, Too

So many ideas, so few hours in the day. . .

Today's Table

No words today. Just arty stuff.

♥

Something-New Sunday

Happy September, everybody!

Look, I made a clown!

And just as I suspected, he's totally the stuff nightmares are made of.

But as far as nightmares go, he's pretty darn cute.

There's nothing nightmarish about Lumina though. She's just plain sweet.

So is her best friend, Raggedy Boo.

Also, there's this whole masked party thing going on today on The Cart. Six green-eyed masked little bits of hyperactivity. They're all sugar addicts I'm afraid, every last one of them. And no, candy corn is NOT a vegetable. It's a small miracle that I was able to get them all to sit still long enough for pictures. They look so sweet though, you say? Well, masks bring out the wild side in the sweetest among us.

Everybody is available right now in the shop.

Let the merriment commence!

Sneaky Peeky

Painting and painting (and repainting) and painting.

Finishing up a big ole Halloweeny batch today. Yay!

One will be a clown. I'm facing my fears.

What do you think about clowns? Cute, or the stuff nightmares are made of?

Today's Table

Here's what's in the works this morning.

(I've heard that life is just a bowl of cherries, but this is something way sillier.)

With Dylan out of commission I've had to take on all his maker duties on top of my regularly scheduled shenanigans. That is, the sewing and stuffing part. Oh sure, I know how to sew. But Dylan is something special, able to turn the tiniest of limbs without so much as a curse word. I however am an entirely different kind of special when it comes to sewing, but I gotta say that I held my own. I may have required supervision, but see those goat horns up there? I did that! Not as gracefully (or G-rated) as Dylan might have, nor as quickly, but in the end they turned out every bit as good as his. Hooray! Today I get to start on the part that I feel much more comfortable with, the drawing and base-painting bit (no curse words required). I've also got 3 more Halloweeny sculpted pieces in the works. See that smiley punkinhead down there? He's gonna be a clown. That's right, I'm facing my fears! He may turn out to be the stuff that nightmares are made of, but I'm hoping we'll be friends.

And speaking of sculpted pieces, I just had to share this wonderful pic sent by Cornelius's new caretaker!

She assures me that he'll be joined shortly by his Halloween brethren, but for now he's enjoying hanging out with all the Sams. Isn't this a wonderful collection? I recognize several of the artists represented. Can't wait to see her Halloweeny stuff! And for any of you misguided souls out there thinking that it's too early to be thinking about Halloween, might I remind you that it's practically September which is practically October.

☻